Album Review: The Wombats - Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This? - EP

Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This?, the new EP from The Wombats comes after the release of their fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World at the start of the year, their first record to reach number one in the UK charts. When I spoke to bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen in September, he mentioned the new tracks were recorded at the same time as the album, but the plan was always to release an EP later in the year with the songs that fit together best. The band certainly carry on the momentum of the album with Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This? which, as with all of their work, is incredibly interesting, exciting and charming.

The EP bursts into life with the screeching bends of ‘I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up’, the second single which was released in October. The Wombats are usually labelled as ‘indie rock’ but have experimented with and drawn influences from a variety of different genres throughout their career. The EP seems to draw more inspiration from rock music than some of their other work, most prominently on this track, but the bigger, heavier sound contrasts with Matthew Murphy’s more restrained vocal performance which is more in line with the emotions of the lyrics.

‘Dressed To Kill’ sums up the infectiously fun sound of The Wombats and perfectly shows off the endearing lyrics that have become their trademark…

‘Dressed To Kill’ sums up the infectiously fun sound of The Wombats and perfectly shows off the endearing lyrics that have become their trademark, with Murphy singing about ‘making nunchucks out of bamboo’ and ‘the best worst night we’ve ever had’. The pulsing drums drive the track along as it builds up to the thumping toms and sturdy bass, which comes to the top of the mix, in the incredibly catchy chorus.

‘Demon’ is the most downcast track on the generally cheerful EP. A noticeably country sounding acoustic guitar intertwines with Murphy’s cagey vocals in the verse that transform into more of a howl in the chorus that explodes with bursts of drums and guitars.

Its melodies, especially in the verses and the bridge, and riff are some of the best that The Wombats have ever produced…

The mood does then pick up though with the upbeat and flashy title track. Its release back in August was the first clue that the band gave that this would be a top quality release. Its melodies, especially in the verses and the bridge, and riff are some of the best that The Wombats have ever produced and contribute a lot to the overall sound which makes it a flawless and exhilarating indie tune. The track features what Tord told me was ‘the essence of The Wombats’ which is the contrast between the ‘dark lyrics’ and ‘happy music that people dance to’. This makes it even more intriguing as its character changes when you absorb the meaning of the lyrics.

The fifth track ‘Same Old Damage’ is extremely interesting and makes use of a variety of captivating and contrasting sounds. Its eerie verses combine a piano with the uneasy rhythm of some tabla drums, which leads into the chorus that features a ‘bass-y’ mixture of what sound like strings and brass. It also wields the band’s signature vocal harmonies. Murphy’s singing perfectly complements this instrumental concoction, especially his impressive falsetto in the chorus. In the bridge it goes up another level and the sounds become heavier and distorted, pushing the song to yet another place with a mirrored chime-like keyboard and vocal riff. The track ends up being very theatrical but also intriguingly ‘pop-y’.

The track ends up being very theatrical but also intriguingly ‘pop-y’

The EP is closed by ‘Good Idea at the Time’ which seems to perfectly balance its energy with calm. Dan Haggis’ drumming is what stands out as the drum and bass style beat he plays gives the song its pace, which is restrained by the bass and whirling synths. The second half of the track is completely unrestricted with Murphy’s distressed vocals as he repeats ‘Oh why’ve you got to analyse it?’, and a selection of synth sounds that flood the space around the drums. The song perfectly wraps up the EP with its intensely atmospheric and busy soundscape that captures the identity of all the songs.

In its six tracks it takes you on a colourful rollercoaster of instruments, tempos, intensity and cryptic emotions

Is This What It Feels To Feel Like This? is definitely The Wombats at their best and is everything that you would want it to be. In its six tracks it takes you on a colourful rollercoaster of instruments, tempos, intensity and cryptic emotions. It feels different to all of their five albums and again is a progression and a development in their sound. The shorter format benefits its artistic personality thanks to the distinctiveness of the tracks which is actually what makes the EP more cohesive, as its six songs are all linked by their use and mixture of new sounds and styles for the band. The result is very polished and obviously perfectly executed to achieve the sounds that they were aiming for. Having just celebrated the 15^th anniversary of their first album A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, The Wombats are clearly getting better and better and continue to release exciting music that not only continues enchant their fans but is permanently attracting more of them, including many who are actually younger than their first record.